Wednesday, November 05, 2014

Voter Turnout

The voter turn out and participation was unheralded. Thank the Supreme Court of the United States for increasing it. Of course I am talking about the corporations who have become people and are able to fund their tool candidacies with billions of dollars of one percenter money.

My big disappointment was seeing Maggie Toulouse Oliver defeated. And it was enabled by those who would suppress the vote. Ray Powell has been most likely defeated by a liar and cheat. Yes, he flat out lied with his commercials and the sap public fell for it.

Gary King? Well, what can one say except that he gave it his all, which wasn't much.

As for the U.S. Senate and the NM House of Representatives going to the GOP, it won't mean much in the final analysis. Little progress will be made, especially in Washington, DC.

My feeling is that in two years both on the state and national level that things will change quite a bit. Now that the GOP is in charge they can be the target of the suppressed rage on the division of wealth in this country. I am counting on it.

4 comments:

Last night while I was driving I was thinking about writing a post on the election but you've already summed it up quite well with wit and wisdom.

I'd just add that in the states where exit poll data is in, Democrats didn't get enough turnout from critical base groups young people and Latinos.

And of course with the usual turnout of under 50 percent it means the people who got elected yesterday were elected by 25 percent of the voting population, or less.

The majority of Americans said there's no reason for me to vote. That's the election result.

You can interpret that as the political class, those handmaidens of the ruling class, receiving a resounding mandate to take a flying leap at a rolling doughnut. Imagine the turnout if we were given actual choices instead of what we get. If people were asked: Do you want to tax the rich and have the best schools and universities in the world?

We don't have that choice. We have the choice between taxing the rich not at all (R) and taxing them an insignificant amount (D). We have no choice but to accept the quality of education and other government services that letting the rich get off without paying affords us.

Things are only going to get even worse for Democrats in New Mexico over the next two to four years unless the Democrats get their act together and wake up and start voting and standing for what they believe in which is doubtful. What will happen over the next 4 years is also troubling.

There are way too many in the New Mexico Democratic Party that think what happened with the Republicn House take over was an anomoly and that things are going to turn around in two years because 2016 will be a Presidential year and Hillary Clinton will be the next President. Too much wishful thinking. If anything, Republicans know how to raise money and know how to hold on to power once they get it. New Mexico Democratic voters simply do not care and do not vote, and when they do vote, they vote Republican against their own best interest similar to what is argued in the book "Whats Wrong With Kansas?".

Watch for Martinez being smart enough to stay away from the National ticket, despite what McClusky wants her to do, hunker down for two years to get things done with the new Republican House and run against Martin Heinrich in four years to become the first "latina" to become a US Senator from New Mexico. The Republicans will recruit another business man or woman to run for Albuquerque Mayor in three years and raise once again over a million dollars to hold onto the Albuquerque Mayor's office. RJ Berry and Lt. Governor John Sanchez will run for Governor in 4 years on the Republican side with Hector Balderas, Tim Keller and Ben Ray Lujan cutting each other up on the Democratic side. Hector, Tim and Ben Ray have a sense of entitlement to be the next Governor, which is not a good thing.

It all reminds me of the ancient Chinese Curse "May you live in interesting times."

I don't know if we can count on it. Muntzer's post said it well. The Rs will start turning on themselves as more cuts will be required than just doing it to the "others". "Government" will still be sold as being bad and oligarchic rule as being the "solution", although it will be call by some pretty Orwellian terms. The fools will no doubt enjoy getting less and paying more for it in all aspects of their lives. This includes many in the over 65 group who I am sure will embrace attempts to cut and privatize Social Security and Medicare. Unfortunately, the rest of us will be drug along as well.

Saw Susana Martinez being interviewed on Channel 4. Looks like she is not going to take the bait and will not run for VP and intends to stay in New Mexico, but only time will really tell. Watch out Martin Heinrich! Watch alot of those nightitme "doe in the headlights" close up shots of Martin taken in his "Rival Survival" show come back to haunt him when he runs for re-election. That one show he should of passed on, butm it was his idea no less. Now that Martin is in the minority in the US Senate, lets see how friendly the Republicans are going to be with him and Udall both after they supported Obama Care and changes in the fullibuster.

About Me

Jim Baca has a strong record of visionary service to New Mexico. He retired as the State of New Mexico's Natural Resource Trustee 1n 2010. He has served as Mayor of the City of Albuquerque, as well as two prior terms as New Mexico’s elected State Land Commissioner. He served as the Director of the National Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior in the first Clinton Administration. Jim Baca also serves on the Boards of numerous non profit organizations including The Wilderness Society and the Wyss Foundation and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Baca has run a successful public affairs consulting practice when not serving in public office. He spends his retirement playing golf, attending board meetings, and generally doing what ever he wants to do.